Insisting on Resisting

The young  man stared at the graffiti laden prison walls. Each bitter tome scribbled there echoed his bitter, accusing conscience. The voices never stop, the accusations ring loud in the silence of his isolation. He hears his sister's voice calling him a loser, he hears his mother's sobs, he hears the self pitying whine of his own voice resisting his embattled conscience.

Another DUI charge, this time barely escaping with his life. Fortunately no one else was killed. Another car lost, another job lost, another opportunity lost. He tells himself that it would have been better if he had lost his life - except for one thing. 
He knows that he must meet God.

That early profession of faith in Jesus Christ rings pretty hollow now. A life resisting God's claim on his life has brought him to this desperation...

A similar sad scenario could be told and repeated by many throughout our fallen world. There are also many whose lives appear to be going well. They may be well respected church members. They are caring mothers and fathers in the community but they are likewise insisting on resisting the claims of Christ.


The Lord Jesus told a story to a group of religious people called Pharisees who were resisting the Lord's teaching. These Pharisees were the leaders of Jewish society at that time. They were control freaks who insisted on telling everyone else how to run their lives while hypocritically refusing to live by the same rules that they taught.


The Lord asked them a series of questions and one of them was about a king going to war.

Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 


So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:31-33 (ESV) 

 This thoughtful king considers how his meager resources will fare against a much larger and well equipped army. Realizing his position he has a choice to try and negotiate the best position that he can for his people, or he can continue to resist and sacrifice thousands of their lives in a futile attempt to maintain control.

Of course, a wise king will not continue to resist. In fact he will not even wait for the invading army to show up but will take care of the matter as early as possible. He will send a delegation while the army is still at a distance.  


This delegation will learn what conditions need to be met in order to maintain peace. The weaker king will not claim his rights to the throne or his possessions, but he will hand them over to the stronger king.

The point that the Lord Jesus is making is this. Death is coming and you will meet God. The guilt that presses upon you like an invading army is driving your addiction. It has robbed you of your will and your possessions anyway. You are already a slave to it, why lose your life for eternity also? Why sacrifice your family and friends on the altar of your own pride and self will?

It is better to accept terms of peace now. Turn your will and your possessions over to God now and you will be granted eternal life and peace. Submit to His Lordship and He becomes your Savior. He removes the burden of your guilt and sets you free from your addiction.  If you wait, you will lose everything, you will injure the people that you claim to love and you will lose your soul for eternity.

It seems like a no-brainer. 

Why not ask God for forgiveness now instead of insisting on resisting?

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